Throttling means for internal combustion engines



April 7, 1936` L. BROWN Er AL 2,036,619

THROTTLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES ATTORNEY April 7, 1936.L. BROWN ET A1. 2,036,619

THROTTLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. 1, 1954 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSv ATTORNEY' Patented 7, 1936 'rimo'r'nmo mums'son nimmt. conmus'rron imams Louis Brown and Richard J. Jones. SanAntonio. Tu.

Application August l, 1984, Serial No. 738,002

'I Claims. (CL 'i4-513) This invention relates to a throttling means foruse in controlling the speed of an internal combustion engine.

The invention has for one of its aims the pro- 5 vison of simple meansby which the accelerator pedal of an automobile engine may beconveniently and automatically held in a set position without thecontinued application of foot pressure and in this way, the operator isrelieved of l a portion of the strain incident to driving, particularlyon long runs, in addition to which there is to be considered the reducedwear accompanying a uniform engine speed in contrast to the wear due tofluctuating engine speeds and, of

l course, a uniform engine speed avoids excessive fuel consumption andflooding the various fuel chambers.

'I'he invention also contemplates a novel governing means by which aconstant engine speed may be maintained even though the load upon theengine is varied, due to hill climbing and other reasons, and it will befound that such constant engine speed is maintained without disturbingthe previous setting of the accelerator pedal.

With further reference to the governor phase of the invention, it ispointed out that the setting of the governor is determined by theposition of the accelerator pedal, with the result that the governor isoperative at all engine speeds and requires no separate adjustment asidefrom ordinary and conventional accelerator pedal actuation to maintain adesired or required engine speed.

Another attribute of the invention resides in the fact that while-theinvention providesfor the maintenance of a constant engine speed whensuch speed is'desred, nevertheless, the accelerator pedal embodied inthe invention isoperated after the fashion in which a conventionalaccelerator is operated, providing a highly responsive means by whichthe speed of the engine may be either increased or decreased to meet therequirements of driving in congested places.

Another object of the invention is to provide a throttling means of thecharacter indicated which may be easily and quickly applied to anengine, either during the course of manufacture or at anytimethereafter, without elaborate changes in the design of the engine andwithout the exercise of unusual skill.

A further object is to provide a structure of the character describedwhich is of highly simplifled construction, durable in use andrelatively cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent .55 during the course ofthe following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parte throughout thesame,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the I throttling means applied,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the controlling means applied, partsbeing shown in section,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating agoverningunit em- 10 bodied in the invention, the view being taken online 3 2 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line l-B l5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on line O-l of Figure 1.

In the drawings, the numeral il designates an accelerator pedal whichmay, of course, be 20 pivotally mounted in any preferred manner.

In carrying out the invention, the accelerator pedal i0 is pivotallyconnected to a combination motion transmitting and valve rod i2, suchconnecticm being through the intervention of a 25 link l.

As shown in Figure 2, the combination motion transmitting and valve rodi2 extends longitudinally into a cylinder I6 from one end of thecylinder and has operative connection with a pis- 30 ton I8. Morespecifically, what might be said to be the inner end of the rod I2 isformed with a spherical head constituting a valve element. Such valveelement co-acts with the piston i8 in controlling the fluid within thesurrounding 35 chamber. That is to say, the piston i8 is longitudinallykported in the head thereof and the spherical head of the rod I2 isadapted to contact the valve seat at one end of such port.

When the spherical head of the rod I2 is in 40 seated position, the portin the piston is closed. On the other hand, when the spherical head ofthe rod i 2 is unseated, the uid in the surroundiizng lamber may passfreely through the pis- The cylinder it is rigidly mounted upon abracket I'l which, in turn, is secured by bolts or the like to asupport, such as the floor board of an automobile.

As illustrated in Figure 4, the cylinder il is 50 provided intermediatethe ends thereof with a partition 22 dividing the cylinder into chambers24 and 28.

Clearly, it is within the chamber 2l that the valved piston operatesand, in addition, a body 5l of liquid. such as cil. is located withinthe enamber 24 for releasabiy securing the pedal in a set position.

From iin'tlier inspection of Figure 4. it will be seen that advancementof the pedal I will unseat the spherical head of the rod I2 and therebyallow lluid to pass through the ported head of the piston I8 and therebypermit o! advancement ofthe piston I8. With the unseating of thespherical head of the rod I2, such head is brought into motiontransmitting engagement with the Inner end wall of a socket 30, the saidsocket being located in the diametrically enlarged end portion of apiston rod 34. The diametrically enlnrged socketed end portion of thepiston rod 34 is shown to be provided with spaced ports 40| by whichfiuid in the surrounding chamber 24 may enter the socket 3i) for passagethrough the ported head of the piston I8.

It is also shown in Figure 4 that a rather light expansion spring 44 ismounted `upon the accelerator rod i2 at a point between the piston I8and a retainingl element 4B shouldered upon the rod I2. The springprovides a simple means by which the pedal I0 and the associated rod I2are urged to the retracted positions shown in Figure 2 to normallyinhibit the passage of uid through the ported piston I8.

Thus, when the accelerator pedal has been advanced to the desiredposition and foot pressure thereon is released, the spherical head ofthe rod I2 will resume its seated position and prevent the passage ofuid through the ported piston. In this way, the piston I 8 is heldagainst axial movement until intentionally shifted.

At this point, it might be noted that while 'the piston i8 andassociated parts provide a means for holding the pedal against movementso long as no foot pressure remains on the pedal, the application ofslight foot pressure to the accelerator pedal will hold the sphericalhead of the rod I2 in an unseated position to permit the flow of fluidthrough the piston I8. This allows the piston and associated parts to beretracted under the influence of the springs 50 as will be hereaftermore fully described.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that suhstantial or materialdepression of the pedal i0 results in advancement of the piston i8 andassociated parts for the obvious purpose of increasing the speed of theengine. Gn the other hand, when it is desired to produce a reduced speedsetting, a light pressure will be exerted on the accelerator pedalsuilicient to move the spherical head of the element I2 from its seat inthe piston I8 and permit the ow of oil therethrough, but insuflicien'tto move such spherical head into engagement with the adjacent end of thepiston rod 34. By this arrangement, the piston I8 may move backwardunder the influence of the springs 50 and the uid in what might be saidto be the rear portion of the chamber 24 is passed through the port inthe piston I8. Thus, a light foot pressure on the accelerator pedalprovides for a new engine setting looking to a reduced engine speed.When the speed of the engine has been re-setl at a reduced number ofrevolutions per minute, the accelerator-pedal is abruptly released so asto allow the spherical head of the member I2 to close the port in thehead I8, whereupon the fluid in the chamber 24 is prevented from passingthrough the piston. This, of course, holds the piston I8 againstmovement in either direction with the result that the speed of theengine is maintained at this point until increased cross-sectional area.

aosae 19' or decreased. This provides tin` delicate speed controlnecessary for use in traic. In this connection, it is observed that thepedal itself handles in a fashion not unlikethat in which the ordinaryaccelerator pedal is operated.

For operation of the engine at a predetermined speed, the acceleratorpedal is advanced to the required position and is abruptly released toclose the ported or valved piston I8 and thus secure the piston in itsnewly set position where it remains until changed.

Also, depression of the brake pedal 60 results in release of the pistonI8 so that such piston and the pedal may return to retracted position.In explaining Ithis, attention is directed to Figure 4 in which it isillustrated that there is a by-pass `I0 of U-shaped form in which theends or branches thereof are in constant communication with the chamber24 at opposite sides of th-` piston I8. A valve 'I2 of any preferreddesign is located in the by-pass and is provided with an of the chamber24 into what might be said to be the forward end of this chamber.

By referring to Figure 2, it will be seen that the rod 34 is providedwith a piston head 80 operating within the chamber 26 within which thereis a body of liquid, such as oil, or some other relativelynon-compressible uid. More specifically, a body of liquid is confinedbetween the piston 80 and a second piston 34 of a substantially smallerThe piston 84 operates in a part of the chamber 26 of a reducedcross-sectional area.

By reason of the difference in the areas of the pistons 80 and 84 andthe bores within which these parts operate, advancement of the piston 80will result in greater advancement of the piston 84.

By this arrangement, a slight depression of the foot pedal will resultin a somewhat greater movement on the part of the carburetor controllingmeans. This provides great responsiveness to slight changes in theposition of the accelerator pedal. f

It is illustrated in Figure 2 that the piston 84 has connection with agoverning u nit generally designated by the numeral 90, such governingunit embodying a cylinder 32 enclosing a hollow piston 96 and a spring94 of a predetermined power. More specically, the spring 94 is connedbetween the piston 96 and an adjusting head 98. The head 98 is carriedby a shank I00 threaded through one end of the cylinder E2 and havingpivotal connection with the piston 84.

'Ihe piston 96 is shown to have a connecting rod |03 pivotally connectedwith the arm |04 of the fuel inlet butterfly valve through theintervention of a pivot element |06. A wing nut I0'I or the like isassociated with the pivot element |06 to maintain a predeterminedrelation or adjustment between the rod |03 and the arm |04.

Incidentally, the threaded connection between the rod |00 and thecylinder 92 provides a simple means by which the spring 94 may be movedendwise and. bodily in the cylinder 82 for the purpose of locating thearm |04 in its idling position when the accelerator pedal is fullyretracted. In other words, the threaded connec- -tion between the partsl! and provides a means by which the over-all length of the governingunit may be varied so that when the accelerator pedal is in fullyretracted position, thearm |04 will be in the motor idling position.

Now, by way of more specific reference to the structure and operation ofthe governing unit, it is pointed out that when the engine is at anidling speed, the spring 94 is not loaded and that depression of theaccelerator pedal will result in the advancement of the cylinder 02 toload the spring 94 and thus bring about opening of the butterfly valve'in the intake manifold. However, concurrently with the openingl of thebutteriiy valve, there will be created a partial vacuum in the airintake port of the carburetor -and such partial vacuum is caused to actwithin the cylinder 02 to retard the advancement of the piston 00,. Thevacuum thus created vwithin the cylinder 92 will be found to act inopposition to the expansive force of the spring 94.v It will. therefore,prevent the piston from having a forward movement co-extensive with thatof the cylinder 02.

Thus, when the foot pedal I0 is advanced, the vacuum within the cylinder02 will be increased to a point where it approximately balances thepower of the spring 94 so as to secure the piston 90 in a predeterminedposition so long as the load on the motor remains constant. However,should the load on the motor increase, there will be a reduction in thepartial vacuum operating within the cylinder 92. Hence, the power of thespring 04 will then be superior to the vacuum prevailing within thecylinder 02 with the result that the piston 90 is advanced to bring-about a further opening of the butterfly valve. By reason of this, anincreased load will result in an increased fuel supply so as to maintainthe desired uniform speed.

When the increased load has been taken care of by a temporarilyaugmented fuel supply, the vacuum within the cylinder 02 is increased toa point where the spring `94 is overpowered for a period sufficient toreturn the piston 98 to the position required for the maintenance of aconstant speed.

It is important 'to observe that the vacuum conducting tube ||0connected to the cylinder 90 is not attached directly to the intakemanifold at a point between the butterfly valve and the combustionchambers as in the case of other governors, but, on the contrary, suchtube is connected to the air intake nipple or end |20 of the carburetor.

More specifically, the air intakenipple of the carburetor is providedwith a cone-shaped element I 40 having a central conical air passage ofa minimum area substantially less than that of the nipple |20, with theresult that the velocity of air at this point is greatly accelerated. Itwill be seen that the tube ||0 is connected to the nipple |20immediately adjacent to the diametrically restricted end portion of theelement |40, and

In operation, the pedal I0 is advanced to the required position and istemporarily locked by the duid within the cylinder I8 and the governingunit will provide for the automatic maintenance of a required enginespeed without alteration in the position of the accelerator pedal.

As shown in Figure 3, the contractile coil springs B0 are secured attheir forward ends to the cylinder 02 and the rear ends thereof to thefixed cylinder I0 and provide a means by which the governing unit 90 isurged rearward to retract the piston 84 and theiparts actuated thereby.

From an inspection of Figure 2, it will be seen that the arm |04 islongitudinally slotted for the adjustable accommodation of the pivotelement |00. This provides a simple means by which the parts may beadjusted to give a greater or less swing or movement to the arm |04 inresponse to a predetermined movement of the piston l0. In this way, thevacuum prevailing within the cylinder 02 is allowed to cooperate withthe spring 94 to the best advantage in exercising delicate control overengine speed.

'I'he invention may be applied to aeroplane engines to maintain aconstantv speed under varyingloads and may also be applied to tractorsand stationary engines.

Having thus described theinvention, what is claimed is:

1. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception of a relatively non-compressible fluid, apiston in the cylinder andfhaving a port, a combination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor engaging the forward end `of the port so that advancement of thecombination motion transmitting and valve rod unseats the head anduncovers the port for the passage of fluid, and spring means urging thehead into port closing position.

2. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception of a relatively non-compressible fluid, apiston in the cylinder and having a port, a combination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor engaging theforward end of the port so that advancement of thecombination motion transmitting and valve rod unseats the head anduncovers the port for the passage of iiuid, spring means urging the headinto port closing position, and a pedal having operative connection withsaid rod.

3. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception of a relatively non-compressible fluid, apiston in the cylinder and having a port, a combination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor closing the port, spring means urging the head into port closingposition, a pedal having operative connection with said rod, and aby-pass connecty ed to said cylinder at opposite ends of said piston.

4. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception of a relatively non-compressible fluid, apiston in the cylinder and having a port. a combination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor closing the port, spring means urging the head into port closingposition, a by-pass connected to said cylinder ai; opposite ends of saidpiston, a valve controlling said by-pass, and a pedal controlling saidvalve:

5. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception' of a relatively non-compressible fluid. apiston in the cylinder and having a port, afcombination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor closing the port, spring means urging the head into port closingposition, a pedal having operative connection with said rod, and a pairof cooperating motion transmitting spaced pistons in responsive relationto said flrstenamed piston.

6. In a speed control mechanism for internal combustion engines, acylinder for the reception of a relatively non-compressible uid, apiston in the cylinder and having a port, a combination motiontransmitting and valve rod extending through said port and having a headfor closing the port, spring means urging the head into port closingposition, a pedal having operative connection with said rod, and amotion transmitting'

